EAST LANSING - Michigan State published its first official roster of 2018 on Tuesday for the outset of spring practice. A look at some notable weight changes on both sides of the ball, beginning with the offense, who is up in weight, with descending order of change:
WHO’S UP IN WEIGHT? OFFENSE:
* Sophomore tight end Matt Dotson continues to grow into his talented frame. The former four-star recruit from Cincinnati Moeller is up 15 pounds to 6-5, 249. He had a bit role in the playing group last year but has the ability to make a major leap as a sophomore in 2018
* Redshirt sophomore walk-on running back Noah Sargent is up 13 pounds to 198. You haven't heard his name yet, but he's in line to get some work in the Green-White Game, with MSU having a shortage of running backs this spring.
He is a transfer from Saginaw Valley State and had a noteworthy high school career. He camped at MSU and his dad was a tight end on the 1988 Rose Bowl team. MSU has known about him forever, and opened to door for him to walk-on last fall.
* Sophomore offensive lineman Jordan Reid is up 10 pounds to 6-4, 281. He was a solid, immediate contributor last year as a puppy. Good things are ahead for the Detroit Cass Tech grad.
* Connor Heyward is up 9 pounds to 228. He had never been a full-time RB in the past. Now he is eating and training like one for some Spartan durability - but be careful not to lose any speed.*
* Sophomore offensive tackle A.J. Arcuri is up nine pounds to 283. He was expected to be a part of the playing group last year and possibly battle for a starting position, but an injury interrupted that plan and kept him off the practice field for more than half of the season. Now, he has added weight and needs to regain some personal momentum. MSU could also use an extra functional body to the talent pool at offensive tackle; things are thin there.
* Redshirt freshman Matt Carrick is on the active practice roster for the first time. He missed last year with a knee injury. Meanwhile, he is up nine pounds to 6-4, 328. I thought he was one of the more undervalued players in the 2017 recruiting class. I watched him work a little bit during today's practice, but it's too early to glean any opinions. He will be another interesting one to chart. Can he bounce back from the injury? I thought he was right there with Reid and Kevin Jarvis as being physically capable of helping right away as a true freshman, but the injury took him out of the mix. How much catching-up does he have to do? Good question. But it's positive for MSU to have him out there beginning work this spring.
* Redshirt freshman walk-on fullback Max Rosenthal (Winnetka, Ill.) is up nine pounds to 244 (6-foot-2). It's always interesting to watch the walk-on picture at fullback. Walk-ons emerge to help at that position more so than any position on the roster.
Other walk-on fullbacks on the roster include returning starter Collin Lucas (6-1, 232, Jr., Avon Lake, Ohio) and Ben Line (6-2, 250, Sr., Oxford). Line transferred from Robert Morris last year.
* Senior tight end Matt Sokol, a second-year starter, is up five pounds to 6-6, 255.
* Junior offensive tackle Cole Chewins is up four pounds to 6-8, 288. That's not a big gain for him, but his weight watch is noteworthy because he has been on a slow, steady incline of weight since he arrived as a lean project of an athlete. He's still gaining, but nothing crazy.
* Junior long snapper Ryan Armour is up six pounds to 226.
* Redshirt freshman WR C.J. Hayes is up four pounds to 206. I'll be interested to watch him this spring. There are some opportunities at WR.
* Redshirt freshman RB Weston Bridges is up four pounds to 201. He suffered a knee injury at the end of his senior year and had a setback in practice last fall, too. Mark Dantonio said he looks on course to return for fall practice but indicated he probably won't see action this spring.
* Redshirt freshman quarterback Rocky Lombardi is up 3 pounds to 219. Loving life, not having to worry about making wrestling weight. He’s the No. 2 quarterback this spring, with a chance to get a ton of meaningful reps and not much pressure. A good chance to build for a guy that received a bunch of positive reviews from coaches last year.
* Junior quarterback Brian Lewerke is up only 3 pounds at a listed 215 but I thought I heard him say today he is 220. I'll have to review the tape. He looks bigger.
WHO’S DOWN IN WEIGHT? OFFENSE:
* Junior offensive guard Tyler Higby is down nine pounds to 6-5, 284. Interesting change. I didn't think he was lacking any quickness last year, but I'll be interested to see if he has added quickness this spring.
* Sophomore walk-on WR Andre Welch of East Kentwood, Mich., might be the fastest player on the team. And it might not be close. He saw a little bit of action last year on kickoff return. MSU is trying to develop him as a wide out. In the meantime, interestingly, he has shed six pounds and is now 5-9, 169.
* Sophomore center Matt Allen is down five pounds to 296. "We need a center," Dantonio said during Tuesday's press briefing. Allen is a leading candidate. He got on the field a bit last year and will have a chance to make major progress toward a starting job this spring.
* Sophomore tight end Noah Davis is down four pounds to 6-4, 244. He emerged as the second-string tight end last year, but ran into some injury problems midway through the year. He was back in the playing group in time for the bowl game and now needs to take a step in his development while competing with fleet-footed Matt Dotson for a role, while awaiting Trenton Gillison's arrival this summer.
* Senior running back LJ Scott is down three pounds to 226. Not quite a Le’Veon Bell level of weight-loss, but losing a little is probably better than gaining, for Scott.
* Sophomore offensive tackle Luke Campbell is down three pounds to 6-5, 290.
WHO’S UP IN WEIGHT? DEFENSE:
* Sophomore defense lineman Mufi Hill-Hunt represents the biggest weight-gainer on the roster, up 30 pounds to 6-5, 301. Hill-Hunt tried tight end last August, but moved back to d-line midway through the year, and then went down with a knee injury at Ohio State. He was with the d-linemen on Tuesday but had his helmet off as a non-active member. He is still recovering from last November's injury. He played d-end last spring and didn't seem to be the most explosive guy. Perhaps beefing up and moving inside is his best bet to eventually get into the playing group. Or perhaps a winter with limited movement due to a late-season knee injury led to the weight gain. His practice status is on hold until he regains health.
* In the questionable weight-add department, sophomore defensive tackle Naquan Jones gained 14 pounds and is now 6-4, 342. Jones was an impact player at d-tackle last year. He played more than 200 snaps last year and had two TFLs while backing up Mike Panasiuk and Raequan Williams at two positions. If he can continue to play with quickness, then that 342 pounds will look increasingly imposing.
Panasiuk and Williams are unchanged in weight by the way.
* Redshirt freshman defensive lineman DeAri Todd is up 21 pounds to 6-2, 274. We heard good things about his progress last year as a redshirt. He’s a puppy who is still filling out. With Kyonta Stallworth being held off the roster, for now, for unspecified reasons, Todd will get a chance to move up in a competitive defensive tackle picture.
* Redshirt freshman walk-on linebacker Brent Mossburg (Carelton, Mich., Airport High) is up 14 pounds to 218.
* There are more weight changes at defensive end than any other position, with both gains and losses. Junior defensive end Justice Alexander is up 12 pounds to 6-5, 257. Alexander has not been able to carve out a role in the playing group, despite his athletic straight-line speed and the program’s dire need for help at rush end. Balance and flexibility have not been strengths for Alexander in the past. Now, his frame has changed a bit. Has he improved in those other areas? New defensive ends coach Chuck Bullough will be eager to find out, beginning this spring.
* Redshirt freshman linebacker Noah Harvey (Hartland, Wis.) is up 12 pounds to 6-3, 221. He’s starting to look solid at that weight. He looked a little slim last August, which isn’t rare for a true freshman. Michigan State needs help at outside linebacker this spring, with Michigan State having had attrition at that position with Darius Tipps-Clemons announcing his transfer on Monday and Chris Frey’s graduation. Harvey will get some work, as Antjuan Simmons and Andrew Dowell are sidelined temporarily with unknown ailments.
* Walk-on Matt Seybert (6-4, 249, Jr., Traverse City) is up seven pounds and is beginning spring practice at defensive end. He transferred to MSU from the University of Buffalo last year as a tight end. MSU is low on d-ends. He will attempt to provide an able body at that position. Able bodies are needed.
* Sophomore safety Dominique Long is up six pounds to 191. One of the top rising young talents on the roster.
* Senior defensive end Kenny Willekes, the biggest surprise of the 2017 season, is up six pounds to 250. Although he was viewed as a productive over-achiever last year, due to his walk-on background, those in the program view him as an athlete with a higher ceiling of potential yet to chase.
* Tyriq Thompson is up five pounds to 6-1, 244. That doesn't sound like a good idea to me. His speed hasn't been a strength in the past, and with five extra pounds I'm not sure that's a positive trend for him.
* Sophomore LB Antjuan Simmons is up four pounds to 221. He has been steadily adding mature mass since graduating from high school. He had very good cruising speed last year as a rookie, earning something close to 50-50 reps with Andrew Dowell by the end of the year at 'star' linebacker. He played with good punch last year. A little more weight and experience and perhaps he can become a two-position LB at both 'star' and 'money.'
* Junior CB Justin Layne is up five pounds to 185.
Who is down in weight?
* Senior defensive end Dillon Alexander is down 14 pounds to 6-4, 234. This is one of the more noteworthy changes of the off-season. Alexander, a former walk-on, began last year as a starter, then fell out of the playing group at mid-year due to some nagging injuries, although nothing serious. He crept back into a larger role near the end of the year. Now, having had a second year of breaking through into the playing group, he interestingly has shed some weight.
Alexander was a functional d-end last year, but had only 10 tackles and no tackles for loss. Now with the weight loss, he wants to regain some quickness and deliver more productivity. He has been productive in the spring game in the past. It will be interesting to see if he is visibly quicker as this spring progresses.
* Redshirt freshman Jack Camper moved from tight end to defensive end last year. The move is permanent now, in changing his jersey number from 80 to 91. Fitting with the trend of defensive ends becoming slimmer and perhaps quicker, Camper (of Virginia Beach, Va./Florida IMG Academy) is down 14 pounds to 6-4, 225.
Michigan State recruited Camper as a tight end after discovering him at that position as a sophomore at Virginia Bech. Then he transferred to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy and spent two years at d-end and rarely, if ever, played tight end. Michigan State stuck to its initial evaluation of him as a tight end prospect. He began last year as a tight end, but made a position change midway through the year. Solid play from Noah Davis, along with promising work from Matt Dotson, and the commitment from Gillison, caused Michigan State to move Camper and walk-on Seybert to d-end, where bodies are needed.
* Redshirt freshman safety Austin Andrews is down eight pounds to 181. This represents one of the biggest weight drop on the defensive side of the ball. We have yet to see him on the field as a Spartan, so we won’t notice a change - if there is one - when he suits up this spring.
* Senior defensive tackle Gerald Owens is down six pounds to 306. He was one of the more improved players on the team last year, from the spring to the fall season. The belt line has been a weakness for Owens over the years, but now is on a positive trend. He made a surprise break into the playing group last year and is one to watch this spring for continued development.
* Senior safety Matt Morrissey is down five pounds to 204. A little more quickness and speed out of him would be positive.
* Sophomore walk-on defensive end Drew Beesley (6-2, 246, Rochester Hills/Warren De La Salle) is down five pounds. You may not have heard of him, but insiders say he could be somewhere between the Dillon Alexander and Kenny Willekes example. Interestingly, he - like Alexander - has shed some weight, as MSU hopes to manufacture just a little more quickness at the position.
* Redshirt freshman CB Shakur Brown (remember him?) is down four pounds to 176. He was a quiet late addition to last year’s recruiting class, and then redshirted.
* Sophomore Josiah Scott is down three pounds to 5-10, 170. He was cat-quick last year. Now he’s smarter, a year more mature, and three pounds lighter.
* Junior middle linebacker Joe Bachie is down three pounds to 230.
* And, for those of you keeping score, sophomore cornerback Tre Person is still 5-10, 165. No change for the lightest scholarship player in the playing group last year.
As for mid-year enrollee freshmen:
CB Xavier Henderson, 6-1, 194
QB Theo Day, 6-5, 217
CB Kalon Gervin, 5-11, 186
WR Julian Major, 6-1, 171
OL Dimitri Douglas, 6-4, 274
WR Julian Major, 6-1, 171,
WR Javez Alexander, 6-2, 187
LB Edward Warinner, 6-0, 219
WHO’S UP IN WEIGHT? OFFENSE:
* Sophomore tight end Matt Dotson continues to grow into his talented frame. The former four-star recruit from Cincinnati Moeller is up 15 pounds to 6-5, 249. He had a bit role in the playing group last year but has the ability to make a major leap as a sophomore in 2018
* Redshirt sophomore walk-on running back Noah Sargent is up 13 pounds to 198. You haven't heard his name yet, but he's in line to get some work in the Green-White Game, with MSU having a shortage of running backs this spring.
He is a transfer from Saginaw Valley State and had a noteworthy high school career. He camped at MSU and his dad was a tight end on the 1988 Rose Bowl team. MSU has known about him forever, and opened to door for him to walk-on last fall.
* Sophomore offensive lineman Jordan Reid is up 10 pounds to 6-4, 281. He was a solid, immediate contributor last year as a puppy. Good things are ahead for the Detroit Cass Tech grad.
* Connor Heyward is up 9 pounds to 228. He had never been a full-time RB in the past. Now he is eating and training like one for some Spartan durability - but be careful not to lose any speed.*
* Sophomore offensive tackle A.J. Arcuri is up nine pounds to 283. He was expected to be a part of the playing group last year and possibly battle for a starting position, but an injury interrupted that plan and kept him off the practice field for more than half of the season. Now, he has added weight and needs to regain some personal momentum. MSU could also use an extra functional body to the talent pool at offensive tackle; things are thin there.
* Redshirt freshman Matt Carrick is on the active practice roster for the first time. He missed last year with a knee injury. Meanwhile, he is up nine pounds to 6-4, 328. I thought he was one of the more undervalued players in the 2017 recruiting class. I watched him work a little bit during today's practice, but it's too early to glean any opinions. He will be another interesting one to chart. Can he bounce back from the injury? I thought he was right there with Reid and Kevin Jarvis as being physically capable of helping right away as a true freshman, but the injury took him out of the mix. How much catching-up does he have to do? Good question. But it's positive for MSU to have him out there beginning work this spring.
* Redshirt freshman walk-on fullback Max Rosenthal (Winnetka, Ill.) is up nine pounds to 244 (6-foot-2). It's always interesting to watch the walk-on picture at fullback. Walk-ons emerge to help at that position more so than any position on the roster.
Other walk-on fullbacks on the roster include returning starter Collin Lucas (6-1, 232, Jr., Avon Lake, Ohio) and Ben Line (6-2, 250, Sr., Oxford). Line transferred from Robert Morris last year.
* Senior tight end Matt Sokol, a second-year starter, is up five pounds to 6-6, 255.
* Junior offensive tackle Cole Chewins is up four pounds to 6-8, 288. That's not a big gain for him, but his weight watch is noteworthy because he has been on a slow, steady incline of weight since he arrived as a lean project of an athlete. He's still gaining, but nothing crazy.
* Junior long snapper Ryan Armour is up six pounds to 226.
* Redshirt freshman WR C.J. Hayes is up four pounds to 206. I'll be interested to watch him this spring. There are some opportunities at WR.
* Redshirt freshman RB Weston Bridges is up four pounds to 201. He suffered a knee injury at the end of his senior year and had a setback in practice last fall, too. Mark Dantonio said he looks on course to return for fall practice but indicated he probably won't see action this spring.
* Redshirt freshman quarterback Rocky Lombardi is up 3 pounds to 219. Loving life, not having to worry about making wrestling weight. He’s the No. 2 quarterback this spring, with a chance to get a ton of meaningful reps and not much pressure. A good chance to build for a guy that received a bunch of positive reviews from coaches last year.
* Junior quarterback Brian Lewerke is up only 3 pounds at a listed 215 but I thought I heard him say today he is 220. I'll have to review the tape. He looks bigger.
WHO’S DOWN IN WEIGHT? OFFENSE:
* Junior offensive guard Tyler Higby is down nine pounds to 6-5, 284. Interesting change. I didn't think he was lacking any quickness last year, but I'll be interested to see if he has added quickness this spring.
* Sophomore walk-on WR Andre Welch of East Kentwood, Mich., might be the fastest player on the team. And it might not be close. He saw a little bit of action last year on kickoff return. MSU is trying to develop him as a wide out. In the meantime, interestingly, he has shed six pounds and is now 5-9, 169.
* Sophomore center Matt Allen is down five pounds to 296. "We need a center," Dantonio said during Tuesday's press briefing. Allen is a leading candidate. He got on the field a bit last year and will have a chance to make major progress toward a starting job this spring.
* Sophomore tight end Noah Davis is down four pounds to 6-4, 244. He emerged as the second-string tight end last year, but ran into some injury problems midway through the year. He was back in the playing group in time for the bowl game and now needs to take a step in his development while competing with fleet-footed Matt Dotson for a role, while awaiting Trenton Gillison's arrival this summer.
* Senior running back LJ Scott is down three pounds to 226. Not quite a Le’Veon Bell level of weight-loss, but losing a little is probably better than gaining, for Scott.
* Sophomore offensive tackle Luke Campbell is down three pounds to 6-5, 290.
WHO’S UP IN WEIGHT? DEFENSE:
* Sophomore defense lineman Mufi Hill-Hunt represents the biggest weight-gainer on the roster, up 30 pounds to 6-5, 301. Hill-Hunt tried tight end last August, but moved back to d-line midway through the year, and then went down with a knee injury at Ohio State. He was with the d-linemen on Tuesday but had his helmet off as a non-active member. He is still recovering from last November's injury. He played d-end last spring and didn't seem to be the most explosive guy. Perhaps beefing up and moving inside is his best bet to eventually get into the playing group. Or perhaps a winter with limited movement due to a late-season knee injury led to the weight gain. His practice status is on hold until he regains health.
* In the questionable weight-add department, sophomore defensive tackle Naquan Jones gained 14 pounds and is now 6-4, 342. Jones was an impact player at d-tackle last year. He played more than 200 snaps last year and had two TFLs while backing up Mike Panasiuk and Raequan Williams at two positions. If he can continue to play with quickness, then that 342 pounds will look increasingly imposing.
Panasiuk and Williams are unchanged in weight by the way.
* Redshirt freshman defensive lineman DeAri Todd is up 21 pounds to 6-2, 274. We heard good things about his progress last year as a redshirt. He’s a puppy who is still filling out. With Kyonta Stallworth being held off the roster, for now, for unspecified reasons, Todd will get a chance to move up in a competitive defensive tackle picture.
* Redshirt freshman walk-on linebacker Brent Mossburg (Carelton, Mich., Airport High) is up 14 pounds to 218.
* There are more weight changes at defensive end than any other position, with both gains and losses. Junior defensive end Justice Alexander is up 12 pounds to 6-5, 257. Alexander has not been able to carve out a role in the playing group, despite his athletic straight-line speed and the program’s dire need for help at rush end. Balance and flexibility have not been strengths for Alexander in the past. Now, his frame has changed a bit. Has he improved in those other areas? New defensive ends coach Chuck Bullough will be eager to find out, beginning this spring.
* Redshirt freshman linebacker Noah Harvey (Hartland, Wis.) is up 12 pounds to 6-3, 221. He’s starting to look solid at that weight. He looked a little slim last August, which isn’t rare for a true freshman. Michigan State needs help at outside linebacker this spring, with Michigan State having had attrition at that position with Darius Tipps-Clemons announcing his transfer on Monday and Chris Frey’s graduation. Harvey will get some work, as Antjuan Simmons and Andrew Dowell are sidelined temporarily with unknown ailments.
* Walk-on Matt Seybert (6-4, 249, Jr., Traverse City) is up seven pounds and is beginning spring practice at defensive end. He transferred to MSU from the University of Buffalo last year as a tight end. MSU is low on d-ends. He will attempt to provide an able body at that position. Able bodies are needed.
* Sophomore safety Dominique Long is up six pounds to 191. One of the top rising young talents on the roster.
* Senior defensive end Kenny Willekes, the biggest surprise of the 2017 season, is up six pounds to 250. Although he was viewed as a productive over-achiever last year, due to his walk-on background, those in the program view him as an athlete with a higher ceiling of potential yet to chase.
* Tyriq Thompson is up five pounds to 6-1, 244. That doesn't sound like a good idea to me. His speed hasn't been a strength in the past, and with five extra pounds I'm not sure that's a positive trend for him.
* Sophomore LB Antjuan Simmons is up four pounds to 221. He has been steadily adding mature mass since graduating from high school. He had very good cruising speed last year as a rookie, earning something close to 50-50 reps with Andrew Dowell by the end of the year at 'star' linebacker. He played with good punch last year. A little more weight and experience and perhaps he can become a two-position LB at both 'star' and 'money.'
* Junior CB Justin Layne is up five pounds to 185.
Who is down in weight?
* Senior defensive end Dillon Alexander is down 14 pounds to 6-4, 234. This is one of the more noteworthy changes of the off-season. Alexander, a former walk-on, began last year as a starter, then fell out of the playing group at mid-year due to some nagging injuries, although nothing serious. He crept back into a larger role near the end of the year. Now, having had a second year of breaking through into the playing group, he interestingly has shed some weight.
Alexander was a functional d-end last year, but had only 10 tackles and no tackles for loss. Now with the weight loss, he wants to regain some quickness and deliver more productivity. He has been productive in the spring game in the past. It will be interesting to see if he is visibly quicker as this spring progresses.
* Redshirt freshman Jack Camper moved from tight end to defensive end last year. The move is permanent now, in changing his jersey number from 80 to 91. Fitting with the trend of defensive ends becoming slimmer and perhaps quicker, Camper (of Virginia Beach, Va./Florida IMG Academy) is down 14 pounds to 6-4, 225.
Michigan State recruited Camper as a tight end after discovering him at that position as a sophomore at Virginia Bech. Then he transferred to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy and spent two years at d-end and rarely, if ever, played tight end. Michigan State stuck to its initial evaluation of him as a tight end prospect. He began last year as a tight end, but made a position change midway through the year. Solid play from Noah Davis, along with promising work from Matt Dotson, and the commitment from Gillison, caused Michigan State to move Camper and walk-on Seybert to d-end, where bodies are needed.
* Redshirt freshman safety Austin Andrews is down eight pounds to 181. This represents one of the biggest weight drop on the defensive side of the ball. We have yet to see him on the field as a Spartan, so we won’t notice a change - if there is one - when he suits up this spring.
* Senior defensive tackle Gerald Owens is down six pounds to 306. He was one of the more improved players on the team last year, from the spring to the fall season. The belt line has been a weakness for Owens over the years, but now is on a positive trend. He made a surprise break into the playing group last year and is one to watch this spring for continued development.
* Senior safety Matt Morrissey is down five pounds to 204. A little more quickness and speed out of him would be positive.
* Sophomore walk-on defensive end Drew Beesley (6-2, 246, Rochester Hills/Warren De La Salle) is down five pounds. You may not have heard of him, but insiders say he could be somewhere between the Dillon Alexander and Kenny Willekes example. Interestingly, he - like Alexander - has shed some weight, as MSU hopes to manufacture just a little more quickness at the position.
* Redshirt freshman CB Shakur Brown (remember him?) is down four pounds to 176. He was a quiet late addition to last year’s recruiting class, and then redshirted.
* Sophomore Josiah Scott is down three pounds to 5-10, 170. He was cat-quick last year. Now he’s smarter, a year more mature, and three pounds lighter.
* Junior middle linebacker Joe Bachie is down three pounds to 230.
* And, for those of you keeping score, sophomore cornerback Tre Person is still 5-10, 165. No change for the lightest scholarship player in the playing group last year.
As for mid-year enrollee freshmen:
CB Xavier Henderson, 6-1, 194
QB Theo Day, 6-5, 217
CB Kalon Gervin, 5-11, 186
WR Julian Major, 6-1, 171
OL Dimitri Douglas, 6-4, 274
WR Julian Major, 6-1, 171,
WR Javez Alexander, 6-2, 187
LB Edward Warinner, 6-0, 219
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